He Has Shown Us What is Good

Yesterday morning, these words from Micah 6:8 resonated with me: “He has shown you what is good. And what the Lord requires of you. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” That sounds easier said than done but God has proved Himself as our example. This scripture starts out “He has shown us what is good.” Oh, yes, He has revealed His secrets, steps, and keys to success. He is our example of acting justly, giving us mercy we don’t deserve it and showing us His humility – our King of Kings came to earth in all humility as a baby in a manger. Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. Three statements that hold a lot of truth in a little writing. As I consider them in light of this 24th day of January 2021, their relevance sound like words we need to hear and act out more than ever. Act justly. Justice isn’t a new topic for us. As a Christ follower, we should strive to pursue justice everyday -- standing with the oppressed, listening to and praying for and helping our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and choosing to fight for what is right. Our goal is to become more and more like our Savior – the One Who chose not to cast a stone, the One Who listened to those who were hurting and broken, and the One Who genuinely loved. If we are to ever look like our Father, we must become more and more like Him and allow our hearts to be molded to what He cares about. Justice isn’t something that belongs to one political side or the other. It is for each of us to stand for what is right. If we are to ever live in justice, we must allow the Lord to open our eyes for every one of His people. Love mercy. The idea of justice and acting in mercy go hand in hand. Reaching out to those who are suffering, not shutting our eyes to the weak, the fatherless, the hopeless, the broken-hearted, the captives held by depression and hopelessness. Loving mercy is loving despite angry, bitter, and mean people. Loving mercy is straight from the heart of our loving-all Father. “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in MERCY. The Lord is good to all, and His tender MERCIES are over all His works.” Psalm 145:8-9. Walk humbly with God. Our Lord desires relationship with us. He wants us to “walk humbly with Him”. We submit to His directions as our Guide and we are assured He will lead us in the right paths. We recognize it is not our will, but His that is best for us. What is before us is unknown, but not to Him. He leads. He shows us the way through the good and the bad. This is a relationship. Our journey together. And what do we become from these “humility” walks with our Lord? We become good, like Him. We start to talk, walk, love, forgive and act like Him. Humbling ourselves from MY plans, MY feelings, MY opinions to His character, His ways, His timing. Even when it seems we may be off course, we humble ourselves and trust. Walking faithfully with God. He has shown us what is good, so let’s ask ourselves: “Am I acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with My God?” I hope He replies: “Yes, Donna, you are. Well done, GOOD and faithful servant!” You too?